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Not applicable.
This invention relates to a system for dispensing a product from a container. This invention is more particularly related to a system that can equalize the pressure between the ambient atmosphere and the interior of a container prior to dispensing the product from the container.
A variety of packages, including dispensing packages or containers, have been developed for food products, including carbonated beverages, and for personal care products such as shampoo, lotion, etc., as well as for other materials. Such containers typically have a neck defining an open upper end on which is mounted a dispensing closure.
Typically, the closure includes a body mounted on the container neck. The body defines a dispensing orifice. A lid is mounted to the body for opening and closing the dispensing orifice.
The inventor of the present invention has determined that it would be advantageous to provide an improved dispensing structure for covering the product in the container while at the same time accommodating venting of gases out of, or into, the container to equalize the pressure prior to dispensing the container contents through the dispensing structure. This would permit, for example, microwave heating of a food product in the container wherein steam or other gases driven off in the heating process could readily escape. Such an improved structure could also permit in-venting of ambient atmosphere into a sub-atmospheric container interiorxe2x80x94as during cooling of a heated container in a refrigeratorxe2x80x94to prevent an undesirable pressure differential. Such a structure could also permit pressurized gases from a carbonated beverage to escape prior to dispensing the beverage.
Such an improved dispensing structure should accommodate designs for separately mounting the dispensing structure on the container in a secure manner.
It would also be beneficial if such an improved dispensing structure could readily accommodate its manufacture from a variety of different materials.
Further, it would be desirable if such an improved dispensing structure could be provided with a design that would accommodate efficient, high-quality, large volume manufacturing techniques with a reduced product reject rate.
Preferably, the improved dispensing structure should also accommodate high-speed manufacturing techniques that produce products having consistent operating characteristics unit-to-unit with high reliability.
The present invention provides an improved dispensing structure which can accommodate designs having the above-discussed benefits and features.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a dispensing structure is provided for discharging the contents from the interior of a container out of an opening in the container. The dispensing structure includes a body for extending from the container. The body defines a dispensing orifice for establishing communication between the exterior and interior of the container.
The body is adapted for mounting to the container at the container opening. The body is adapted for movement in directions toward and away from the container. The body has a sealing member for being disposed in the container opening. The sealing member has an outer sealing surface for sealingly engaging the container around the container opening when the body is located at a first sealing position relative to the container. The sealing member defines a vent passage extending inwardly from the outer sealing surface for communicating with the container interior. Movement of the body in the direction away from the container a sufficient amount to a venting position locates a portion of the vent passage outwardly of the container opening to establish communication between the container interior and the container exterior.
The dispensing structure includes a lid which accommodates movement between (1) a closed position occluding the body dispensing orifice for preventing the dispensing of the container contents through the body dispensing orifice, and (2) an open position away from the body dispensing orifice to accommodate pouring of the contents of the container through the body dispensing orifice.
The lid can be maintained in the closed position as the dispensing structure body is moved from the first sealing position to the venting position. When the body is in the venting position, a pressure difference between the container interior and container exterior can be equalized by flow of gas into, or out of, the container while the lid is closed. Subsequently, after pressure within the container has equalized with the pressure exterior of the container, the lid can be opened, and the contents, or portion of the contents, can be dispensed through the body dispensing orifice.
In a preferred form of the invention, the dispensing structure is a separate closure which includes a closure body having internal threads adapted for threadingly engaging external threads on a neck of a container. When the closure body is in the venting position, the gas can flow into or out of the container through the vent passage and through the threaded engagement between the closure body and the containerxe2x80x94which threaded engagement is not gas-tight.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawing.